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▲photos of the hospital taken when xiao zhou “revisited his hometown”

more than a year after reporting yang yongxin, xiao zhou (pseudonym) finally received a written reply from the relevant department.

on april 23 last year, xiao zhou posted a weibo post, saying that he had reported the case to the local public security department and hoped to hold yang yongxin and relevant personnel of linyi fourth hospital (shandong linyi fourth people's hospital, linyi mental health center) accountable. . xiao zhou revealed that he decided to call the police to defend his rights 15 years after leaving the linyi internet counseling center. he was influenced by the retrial of the yuzhang academy case. "he just wanted a result, no matter good or bad."

on september 19 this year, the linyi municipal health commission responded to the letter stating that regarding the treatment-related issues he reported at the linyi mental health center yang yongxin’s online rehabilitation center, after investigation, “no problems such as torture or abuse of patients were found in the hospital.”

▲reply from linyi municipal health commission

the full name of shandong linyi internet addiction treatment center is linyi internet addiction treatment center. it is affiliated to linyi fourth hospital and is an institution for treating internet addiction run by yang yongxin, the vice president of the hospital. in 2009, cctv broadcast "news investigation: internet addiction recovery", which exposed yang yongxin's internet addiction center. at that time, the former ministry of health sent a letter to the shandong provincial department of health, requesting that this type of treatment be stopped.

a few days ago, staff from the psychiatric department of linyi fourth hospital told red star news reporters that the internet addiction treatment center has been shut down and the hospital no longer provides treatment for internet addiction and rebellious teenagers. a hotline staff member at the main campus of linyi mental health center told a red star news reporter that yang yongxin had retired for several years and no longer visited clinics. on september 27, the reporter called the linyi municipal health commission to learn the details of the investigation, but the staff refused the interview on the grounds that "the leader is not available."

because of this experience in the internet rehabilitation center, xiao zhou's feelings towards his parents have been very complicated in the past 16 years. he has experienced fear, flattery and escape. now he feels more helpless. he originally planned to find more parties and follow the example of the victims of yuzhang academy to sue collectively. after receiving the reply, the reporter asked him about his next step, but he did not respond directly.

electric shock cures internet addiction

16 years later, it’s still a nightmare that never goes away

xiao zhou still remembers the day he was tricked into going to an internet rehabilitation center. his parents told him that a relative in linyi was seriously ill and he must go see him. after entering linyi fourth hospital, he realized that the situation was not good. "there were posters about internet addiction all around."

the first step in admission was the "test." xiao zhou was surrounded by seven people and sent to "room 13," which is the electric shock treatment room of the internet detoxification center. the test method is to answer yang yongxin's questions during the electric shock process. if he denies that he is addicted to the internet, it will be interpreted as being unaware of his illness. if he admits it, he will be admitted to the hospital for treatment.

the first electric current, which lasted about 7 seconds, made xiao zhou so painful that he begged to commit suicide. this angered yang yongxin, "he said since you are not even afraid of death, let's continue." the second time, the electric shock lasted for 20 seconds, which made xiao zhou completely succumb. after the electric shock, he began to try to "admit his mistakes", saying that he was seriously addicted to the internet and beat his father and mother. this rhetoric did not move yang yongxin. zhou was shocked several more times, and it wasn't until he stayed in room 13 for nearly 20 minutes that he briefly got rid of the pain of the electric shocks.

according to xiao zhou's recollection, yang yongxin threatened him that if he was not honest, he would be charged for 3,600 seconds. this was yang yongxin's standard for a "course of treatment." in fear, xiao yiyi walked out of the room and knelt down to his mother, saying that he wanted to stay in linyi fourth hospital for treatment. his mother was very satisfied with this and praised yang yongxin for his superb medical skills.

▲screenshot of cctv’s “news investigation: the ring of internet addiction” report

the electrotherapy device in room 13 had a powerful deterrent effect. xiao zhou said that the feeling of being electrocuted was "like a knife drilling into your brain, but you can't die." he was very lucky that he had braces on when he was shocked for the first time - he had seen children who received electric shocks without braces, and their mouths and tongues were bitten due to electric convulsions, and blood overflowed from their mouths. all over the face.

this image is still imprinted in xiao zhou’s mind. almost 15 years after he left the linyi internet rehabilitation center, he occasionally has nightmares about being sent back. before the linyi internet rehabilitation center was shut down, xiao zhou said that he had been thinking about committing suicide. "when i first came out, if i was sent there the next day, i would definitely commit suicide that day."

one year after xiao zhou left the linyi internet detoxification center, cctv broadcast the program "news investigation: detox from internet addiction". experts from beijing anding hospital, a famous mental hospital in beijing, pointed out that the dx-ⅱ treatment device used by yang yongxin had side effects. , and without a production license, is prohibited from use in the industry. according to xiao zhou’s investigation after leaving linyi fourth hospital, even before it was banned, this type of treatment device was used for manic psychosis. except for yang yongxin, there seems to be no precedent for its use for “internet addiction”.

▲relevant notices from the former ministry of health

this electrotherapy device is now history. in 2009, the former ministry of health sent a letter to the shandong provincial department of health, requesting that this type of treatment be stopped. “experts agree that the safety and effectiveness of electrical stimulation (or electroconvulsive) technology for treating internet addiction are not yet clear at home and abroad. there is no relevant clinical research and evidence-based medical basis, and it is not suitable for clinical use.”

please and admit mistakes are essential skills

but i can’t be what my parents expected

on may 7, 2009, "china youth daily" published an article "the ecosystem of an internet security center". the article stated that in the linyi internet security center, each ally has a power structure diagram of the internet security center in their room. at the top is the "director of the internet warning center" yang yongxin, and below are two lines, namely the "parent alliance committee" and the "alliance class meeting". under the director of the parent committee, there are eight sub-organizations.

xiao zhou told the red star news reporter that in this deformed power system, the intensity of electric shocks to allies directly depends on the mood of the "upper class". if you want to avoid the pain of electric shocks, pleasing and admitting mistakes are essential skills. "i have to flatter my parents every day, which is exaggerated to some extent. i have to kneel down to my parents every day and say that i regret it every day."

after leaving linyi fourth hospital, the fear did not disappear. xiao zhou said frankly that those years were the "most terrifying" time. some parents will keep in touch with yang yongxin after picking up their children and continue to be active in the family committee. once their children show "second deviation" (second deviation), they will be sent back to linyi fourth hospital.

xiao zhou once saw an extreme example. a parent sent his teenage child to linyi fourth hospital 11 times. during the four months he received "treatment", xiao zhou also heard some class committee members talk about how they went out to bring back their "second-time allies".

▲xiao zhou’s collection of yang yongxin’s works

worrying about being sent to an internet detention center again and trying to please his parents are the normal aspects of xiao zhou's life. it turns out that xiao zhou and his friends started a business to open an online store. in 2008, e-commerce was developing rapidly. at that time, he ran an online store in front of the computer every day. his parents interpreted it as "internet addiction" and he received 4 months of training in an internet rehabilitation center. after the "treatment", he also accepted his parents' arrangements, moving steel bars, tightening screws, and working as a waiter...

later, he discovered that he could never be what his parents expected him to be, and they could always find fault with him.

decided to report the case and pursue accountability

inspired by the retrial of the yuzhang academy case

in 2018, 10 years after leaving linyi internet counseling center, xiao zhou had the idea of ​​resisting for the first time.

at the end of october of that year, a video was circulated on the internet, which showed shrill cries coming from room 13. at that time, xiao zhou wrote about his experience of being sent to an internet detention center on his weibo "for living with dignity", and several other active allies also came forward to speak out.

after writing the "report letter", xiao zhou's life ushered in a turning point. he planned to leave his parents, move from his hometown, and live in other cities. unexpectedly, after taking this step, his parents' attitude towards him suddenly changed. they no longer interfered forcefully in xiao zhou's life, but only repeatedly remind your sons that they are old and need care.

▲xiao zhou’s reporting record

xiao zhou admitted that he did not expect his parents to apologize for sending him to an internet rehabilitation center, but he still hoped that someone would be responsible for what happened to him, such as yang yongxin, who runs the linyi internet rehabilitation center, "i hate my parents, but my parents i have no choice but to hate yang yongxin."

on october 24, 2018, many media intervened in the report. the then linyi municipal health and family planning commission responded that yang yongxin’s internet counseling center had been shut down in 2016. however, in february 2019, the beijing news reported that the publicity department of linyi mental health center revealed that yang yongxin’s administrative position was still the vice president, and a reporter visited and found that yang yongxin was still in the psychiatric department.

looking through xiao zhou’s weibo, on november 11, 2018, under the content he posted related to the linyi internet warning center, there was a message saying: “if you want to live with dignity, you must be a normal person, know how to understand your parents, and be grateful. parents, honor your parents, stop talking nonsense, and stop doing things that harm society and harm others and yourself!" there were hundreds of similar comments.

xiao zhou said that as far as he knew, many of the people who left messages on that weibo post were members of the family committee, and some of them are still "voicing grievances" for the internet counseling center. the same scene also happened when yuzhang academy closed down. according to media reports, after yuzhang academy ceased operations in november 2017, groups of parents went to the entrance of the academy to hold banners in support of its continued operation.

the impact is lifelong

rights protection only requires one result, good or bad

to this day, xiao zhou's parents still believe that they "saved" their son, "we sent you to the internet rehabilitation center at that time. it is our credit that you have become better and more diligent. if we had not sent you there at that time, you might have lost your brain." something went wrong”.

according to top news reports, after xiao zhou left the internet rehabilitation center, his parents would often threaten to "send him back to the internet rehabilitation center" and interfere with his son's business and work. in this regard, xiao zhou said that although he resisted in his heart, he was "very scared and had no choice", and finally decided to stay away from his parents and go to other cities to live alone.

after deciding to defend his rights, he has been following the developments of the yuzhang academy case. "although many children have been admitted for only a few months, the subsequent impact will last a lifetime." xiao zhou said that he decided to continue defending the rights of yang yongxin and linyi fourth hospital. he needed a result, no matter good or bad.

▲xiao zhou’s weibo

after deciding to call the police, xiao zhou posted a weibo message on april 19 last year, calling on allies who had been to the internet warning center to contact him and follow the example of the yuzhang academy case in prosecuting yang yongxin. as of press time, only 5 allies have responded to xiao zhou’s call, some are still studying, and some are living independently.

after many years, xiao zhou would often think of the scene in the internet center. he and another ally knelt down to their parents. after tearfully admitting their mistakes, they walked to a place where their parents could not see them. xiao zhou praised the other party, "you did well today." ", the other party smiled and replied "you know".

in linyi fourth courtyard, they performed to reduce the intensity of the electric shock. after leaving, they performed again so as not to be sent in again. he guessed that yang yongxin should know this. in cctv's "news investigation" in 2009, when faced with reporters' doubts about the children's pretense, yang yongxin maintained a gentle smile and admitted to the camera generously:

"i said, wouldn't it be great if your behavior could be disguised for a lifetime?"